It’s each to their own with debadging. Some like it, some don’t. Some people like to read into the motive behind it. Whatever “reason” anybody else may take from it is entirely up to them...

I used to debadge my 335 BMWs (and that was just 3 numbers and 1 letter!) for the same reason as the mighty Skodiaq... Less clutter and much easier to clean/polish. It’s not like the lettering is even nice quality. It’s cheap and jagged IMO.

To anybody concerned with giving it back after PCP, just keep the letters. They can be stuck back on at a later date should you wish.

For anybody thinking of doing it, I did notice today in different light that I’d put a few light swirl marks on the paint (from adhesive removal methinks). But 5 minutes hand applying some G10 finishing compound and then reapplying wax has sorted the job just fine.

It’s each to their own with debadging. Some like it, some don’t. Some people like to read into the motive behind it. Whatever “reason” anybody else may take from it is entirely up to them...

I used to debadge my 335 BMWs (and that was just 3 numbers and 1 letter!) for the same reason as the mighty Skodiaq... Less clutter and much easier to clean/polish. It’s not like the lettering is even nice quality. It’s cheap and jagged IMO.

To anybody concerned with giving it back after PCP, just keep the letters. They can be stuck back on at a later date should you wish.

For anybody thinking of doing it, I did notice today in different light that I’d put a few light swirl marks on the paint (from adhesive removal methinks). But 5 minutes hand applying some G10 finishing compound and then reapplying wax has sorted the job just fine.

I totally agree it’s something that either you like doing or not, just not my bag to be honest. The Sportline looks good in black and tempted to get one when I reorder one in the next month. It’s been said quite often on here that black looks great when clean but looks dirty quite quickly, just wondered from your experience this is true ( the last time I had a black car was the 1990s). Should I consider a different colour as I wash mine rarely and the quartz grey seems to hide allot of dirt.

I had a black Saab for 3 years and vowed I’d NEVER have a black car again. It looked great when clean (so I had it cleaned twice a week), but showed dirt splashes and general dust very quickly soon after (as in 5 miles later).
Previous white Saab was much easier to keep, contrary to popular opinion.
Silver, or nearly silver, cars seems to show dirt the least

I do not personally find the badging makes the rear end busy. The only reason I would do it is for cleaning. Those sharp little letters get stuck on my microfibre cloth and I am sure if caught hard I will bend or break a letter. Removal for me would be purely functional, not aesthetic.

In answer to FoxtrotAlpha, I personally don’t find the black to be much different to any other colour with regards to soon looking dirty. It’s my first black car, so was a bit worried about it beforehand. That said, I religiously clean my cars once a week to keep on top of them from new. I’m also a great advocate of Autoglym Aqua Wax (aka Rapid Wax) which I always apply as part of the usual drying routine. This means that with minimal effort the water always beads and it keeps the car so much cleaner between washes. The bonnet is always still like a mirror even after a week of commuting at this time of year.